Canada threatens to pull soldiers from Afghanistan

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will pull its 2,500 troops out of
Afghanistan early next year unless NATO sends in significant
reinforcements, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Monday,
signaling Ottawa has lost patience with what it sees as
foot-dragging by allies.

The minority Conservative government wants the soldiers to
stay beyond their current withdrawal date of February 2009 but
in another potential threat to the mission, the main opposition
Liberal Party expressed doubts about the idea of an extension.

Harper, who is exasperated at the refusal of many other
NATO nations to commit more troops to Afghanistan, said the
Alliance's failure to provide enough forces meant the whole
future of the organization was under serious threat.

So far, 78 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died since
Ottawa deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2002.

Harper said he accepted the recommendations of an
independent panel which last week urged Canada to end its
mission in the southern city of Kandahar unless NATO provided
an extra 1,000 troops and Ottawa obtained helicopters and
aerial reconnaissance vehicles.

"For this mission to go forward and achieve its objectives
and be successful, we do have the need for a substantial
increase in combat troops and particular needs in terms of
military equipment," Harper told a news conference.

"Both of those recommendations will have to be fulfilled or
Canada will not proceed with the mission in Afghanistan. We
believe these are essential to our success."

Harper, saying he was "always optimistic on these things,"
said he would raise Canada's demand for more troops before NATO
leaders hold a summit in Bucharest in early April.
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